Israeli strikes continue to kill Palestinians as Prime Minister Netanyahu faces pressure from all sides over ceasefire proposals.
The Israeli military has launched new airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, with deadly effects, as officials discuss the latest proposed deal to end hostilities and exchange prisoners.
In the south of the enclave, Israeli air raids were reported overnight Sunday in several areas of Rafah, which is the subject of a growing ground invasion, as well as in Khan Younis. At least 12 people were killed, including women and children, in overnight attacks on the two cities, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.
In central Gaza, multiple airstrikes hit the Bureji refugee camp, killing at least six people. The strikes on the Nuseirat camp, about 2 kilometers away, left four people dead, while seven others were killed in the az-Zawayda area.
In Jabalia, northern Gaza, civil defense teams said Monday they were still working to recover bodies after Israeli forces withdrew. Much of the area was destroyed and dozens of bodies were found after 20 days of Israeli military operation.
At least 36,439 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since October 7, with more than 82,000 injured and thousands still missing, according to the Ministry of Defense. Health of the enclave.
These latest Israeli attacks came amid prolonged rhetoric and debate over the latest ceasefire proposal.
The three-phase plan, the latest in a series of proposals, aims to end the conflict with an exchange of captives for prisoners, the evacuation of Israeli forces from Gaza and the reconstruction of the enclave.
The White House has told the Palestinian group Hamas that if it accepts the plan announced last week by US President Joe Biden, Washington expects Israel to accept it as well.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers the plan “partial,” a government spokesperson said Monday.
“The outline presented by President Biden is partial,” government spokesman David Mencer said, quoting Netanyahu, adding during a press briefing that “the war will be stopped with the aim of returning the hostages,” after which discussions will follow on how to achieve the set objectives. Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas.
Netanyahu, in a separate statement released by his office, said that “claims that we agreed to a ceasefire without our conditions being met are incorrect.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he wanted a viable alternative to Hamas’ governance of Gaza to be presented. War Minister Benny Gantz has threatened to resign unless Netanyahu reaches an agreement on post-war plans by June 8.
“Ultranationalists and far-right ministers are also telling Netanyahu they will leave the government if there is a ceasefire,” notes Tel Aviv Tribune’s Sara Khairat, reporting from Amman. Jordan. “(This) will lead to the dissolution of the coalition government that Netanyahu needed to stay in power. »
“Then there’s Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition, saying ‘take the deal.’ The families of those held captive also said they accepted the deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is therefore stuck between the two camps. »
Regional conflict
Amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli military also continues low-intensity fighting with other Iran-linked groups in neighboring Lebanon, as well as in Yemen and Syria.
In an airstrike in the early hours of Monday, a factory near Aleppo was hit.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said at least 12 Iran-linked fighters were killed in the strike in northern Syria.
These regional strikes have raised concerns about an escalation. A suspected Israeli strike in April on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus sparked rare direct attacks between Iran and Israel, skyrocketing fears of all-out war between the two countries.
